MITCHELL – During Monday night’s Mitchell City Council meeting, members approved the use the majority of the city’s remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds to provide water and sewer for the Flynn Subdivision project.
The motion approved the use of $300,000 of the city’s remaining ARPA funds in the form of a loan, which the city will pay itself back on over the span of three years.
The invoice received for the project was $521,000. The remaining amount will be paid from the city’s water and general funds.
Both motions, one to approve the use of APRA funds for the project and the other to approve payment of the invoice, passed with a 4-1 vote. Council member Vicky Schlegel was the one opposing vote on each. She explained that she did not agree with the city funding projects on privately owned property.
Though other council members expressed a similar sentiment, an agreement was made by the previous mayor of Mitchell, Butch Chastain, which obligated them to fund the project.
Later in the meeting, there was a discussion by members of the council and Mayor Nathan Jenkins of the city adding a subdivision ordinance, which would specify the requirements and obligations for a property owner to create another subdivision in Mitchell.
Following that discussion, council members Schlegel, George James, and Perry Reynolds will now work on putting together a list of requirements for developers that could be included in a future ordinance for further discussion at next month’s meeting.
